New homeless shelter for women, ’Hope’s House,’ set to open in Summerville

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - After almost three years, a new women’s shelter is set to open in Summerville under the non-profit Dorchester County Community Outreach.

Marty Thomas, DCCO’s board president, says “Hope’s House” will be more than just a shelter to homeless women.

The two-bedroom house off Central Avenue will give six to eight women, at a time, a chance to get back on their feet.

“As long as they continue to work toward a state of self-sufficiency they can stay with us,” Thomas said.

He saw a need for a women’s homeless shelter after another facility in the area closed in 2015.

“I believe the community needs it, I believe the community wants it,” Thomas said. “But it is a delicate matter to deal with sometimes because people don’t want it in their backyard. But they’re not bad people. They are people that have fallen on hard times.”

It’s been a process to get to this point with still more challenges ahead for Hope’s House as officials make repairs and revamp the facility.

“We are sure we will be able to fill the facility within days once we are prepared to open,” Thomas said.

While there is no officials timeline for the shelter to open, Thomas says it will likely be a few months before they are ready to accept people.

“We are really letting people know that they can be good productive members of society,” Thomas said. “They are loved, and there is nothing wrong with you just because you fell on hard times.”